At 13:02 in bright sun and a light 8 knot breeze Yacht Club de Monaco member Boris Herrmann set off from Saint-Malo on Malizia 4 at the start of the 3,452 nautical mile Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe to Pointe-à-Pitre. For his third entry in this legendary transatlantic race, held every four years since 1978, it is a new challenge for the German skipper as it is the first solo race aboard Malizia 4 that was only launched in July. Among the 115 competitors, including 22 in the IMOCA fleet, he was lying in fifth place in his class as they left Saint-Malo behind them.
After two years of design and build, Malizia 4 was launched in Lorient in July 2026. Since then the new IMOCA has crossed the Atlantic twice in its first fully crewed race, The Ocean Race Atlantic in September from New York to Lorient when Boris and his crew finished 4th, just five minutes off the podium. The Route du Rhum is the first major solo test, a discipline he particularly enjoys: “Racing solo helps me build a connection with the boat. When you’re alone, you can listen more closely to it and really feel every wave and every gust,” he explained before the start. “I feel really good and have great faith in both the boat and the team. Everyone has done an amazing job, and I am very grateful to the team and our partners for their commitment. From design through to construction, Malizia 4 already seems very reliable. I look forward to discovering everything we can achieve with it”.
For YCM Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi, co-founder of Team Malizia, this first transatlantic solo challenge is a chance to better gauge the boat’s potential: “The Route du Rhum will allow us to see how Malizia 4 performs over a long period with only one sailor on board. The boat was designed to be more versatile than its predecessor, particularly when sailing upwind or in lighter winds, while still maintaining excellent foiling capabilities when conditions get tough”.
With 22 boats competing in the IMOCA class, the race promises to be highly competitive. Boris Herrmann will be up against a strong field including Maxime Sorel (Vaincre la Mucoviscidose), Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) and Jérémie Beyou (Charal). Meanwhile, Violette Dorange, skipper of Initiatives-Cœur, damaged her starboard foil following a collision with Romain Pilliard’s trimaran Use It Again off the island of Bréhat. Both skippers were forced to divert from their course.
The German skipper has a clear objective but is aware he still needs to get to grips with his new boat. “My official goal is to finish in the top six. Some competitors have been preparing for this race for two years and know their IMOCAs inside out. For us, we still need to learn how to get the best out of this new boat. A new boat generally takes one to two years to reach its full potential. We’ll see if we can surprise everyone”.
This edition looks set to be very tactical as a low pressure system in the central Atlantic is disrupting the usual trade wind patterns, potentially leading contestants to opt for a more northerly route before heading down to the Antilles. “At the moment, there is no obvious route south. Conditions are unusual and might favour a more northerly route to seek out low pressure systems and passing weather fronts,” says Boris Herrmann. The first IMOCA boats are expected to arrive in Guadeloupe in 10 to 12 days. Interpreting the weather, managing the boat, and maintaining a consistent pace will be the decisive factors all the way to Pointe-à-Pitre.
This Route du Rhum is another milestone in Team Malizia’s preparation. After the transatlantic crossing, Malizia 4 heads to Alicante, where the team regroups for The Ocean Race 2027, before continuing their preparations for the 2028–2029 Vendée Globe. With this programme, Boris Herrmann continues his commitment to offshore racing through a project that combines sporting achievement, innovation, scientific research and raising awareness on climate issues. Today, the priority is to cross the Atlantic and reach Pointe-à-Pitre.
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